Group 6 - The Unification of Japan; The Tokugawa Shogunate and Economic and Social Change (741-744)
The Tokugawa Shogunate
Shogun (12 to 16 century): military governor that ruled Japan through retainers who received political rights and estates in exchange for military service
Emperors became figureheads as shoguns monopolized power
Conflict between retainers and shoguns led to civil war
Tokugawa Ieyasu (1600-1687)
Was a shogun who established military government called the bakufu to reunite Japan
main goal of Tokugawa shoguns was to stabilize Japan and prevent civil war
Shoguns needed to control daimyo, powerful lords ruling most of Japan with vast landholdings
Many daimyo created relationships between European mariners and learned about gunpowder and weapons
cannons and personal firearms played key roles in Japanese conflicts
Control of the Daimyo
Tokugawa shoguns required daimyo to live every other year in the town of Edo at Tokugawa court (enableded the shoguns to keep a close eye on the daimyos)
Bakufu controlled daimyo marriages, travel, and supervised their activities
Shoguns feared Europeans might risk the security of the bakufu
Control of Foreign Relations
During the 1630's the shoguns issued a series of edicts restricting Japanese relations with other lands
Prohibited the construction of large ships, expelled Europeans from Japan, forbade merchants and foreign books
1640 a Portuguese merchant ship arrived at Nagaski; officials beheaded 61 and only spared thirteen so they could caution the rest of the world and get the word out
Authorities gradually loosened restrictions and policy never made Japan completely isolated from the outside world
Economic and Social Change Population Growth
Increased agricultural production from 1600 to 1700 broought about rapid population growth from twenty-two million to twenty-nine million
1700 to 1850 Japanese population grew slightly from twenty-nine to thirty-two million
Controlled population with contraception, late marriage, abortion, and infanticide
Families practiced population control to improve their standard of living and because Japan was land poor
Booming economy actually encouraged social change that undermined the order that the bakufu sought to preserve
Social Change
In Tokugawa era Japan adopted Confucian thought and the hierarchy changed to fit this change
Tokugawa authorities tried to reduce the number of armed professional warriors in Japanese society and encouraged daimyo and samurai to become bureaucrats or to turn their talents toward scholarship
As they lost their traditional place in society they ran into financial problems
Income came in the form of rice which they turned into money through brokers, but the price of rice didn't keep pace with other costs
Daimyo and samurai lifestyle of luxury was very expensive and many became largely indebted to brokers
During Tokugawa era merchants flourished in Japan, and became more wealthy than the ruling elites
Wealthy individuals sometimes bought elite ranks or married into ruling families, but many who didn't also gained respect despite a low ranking job in the Confucian social order
Group 6 - The Unification of Japan; The Tokugawa Shogunate and Economic and Social Change (741-744)
The Tokugawa Shogunate
- Shogun (12 to 16 century): military governor that ruled Japan through retainers who received political rights and estates in exchange for military service
- Emperors became figureheads as shoguns monopolized power
- Conflict between retainers and shoguns led to civil war
Tokugawa Ieyasu (1600-1687)- Was a shogun who established military government called the bakufu to reunite Japan
- main goal of Tokugawa shoguns was to stabilize Japan and prevent civil war
- Shoguns needed to control daimyo, powerful lords ruling most of Japan with vast landholdings
- Many daimyo created relationships between European mariners and learned about gunpowder and weapons
- cannons and personal firearms played key roles in Japanese conflicts
Control of the Daimyo- Tokugawa shoguns required daimyo to live every other year in the town of Edo at Tokugawa court (enableded the shoguns to keep a close eye on the daimyos)
- Bakufu controlled daimyo marriages, travel, and supervised their activities
- Shoguns feared Europeans might risk the security of the bakufu
Control of Foreign RelationsEconomic and Social Change
Population Growth
- Increased agricultural production from 1600 to 1700 broought about rapid population growth from twenty-two million to twenty-nine million
- 1700 to 1850 Japanese population grew slightly from twenty-nine to thirty-two million
- Controlled population with contraception, late marriage, abortion, and infanticide
- Families practiced population control to improve their standard of living and because Japan was land poor
- Booming economy actually encouraged social change that undermined the order that the bakufu sought to preserve
Social Change